10.7. Italics
Use quotation marks to cite quotations from books and periodicals rather than italics. The simultaneous use of italics and quotation marks must be avoided.
The use of italics is restricted to the following cases.
Official Journal of the European Union
the Official Journal
Words and short phrases from foreign languages with their appropriate accents:
acquis, carte blanche, Länder, raison d’être
but not proper names (names of persons, institutions, places, etc.), and not usually foreign quotations.
Not all foreign words are italicised, however; a number have been assimilated into current English and are written in roman:
alias, démarche, detour, ad hoc, per capita, per se, vis-à-vis, etc.
the Cutty Sark
HMS Beagle
the SS Normandie
the Spirit of St Louis
the Flying Scotsman
ORDER: Rosales Carnivora FAMILY: Rosaceae Felidae GENUS: Rosa Felis SPECIES: Rosa moschata Felis catus
The genus name should be spelt out in full on first occurrence and subsequently abbreviated: Escherichia coli, abbreviated E. coli.
Case C-287/87 Commission v Greece [1990] ECR I-125
Latin abbreviations and phrases
Latin should be used sparingly as even the common phrases are often misused or misunderstood.
e.g., et al., et seq., ibid., i.e., NB, op. cit.
Latin words should usually be printed in italics (e.g. ex ante), but certain common Latin phrases take roman (refer to the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors for italic or roman style).
Examples of roman:
ad hoc, ad infinitum, per capita, pro forma, status quo
Latin phrases are not hyphenated when used adjectivally, e.g. ad hoc meeting.